Tin futures in the UK climbed to $55,450 per tonne in August, the highest level since June, supported by speculative long positions tied to AI infrastructure and constrained supply. While shares of chipmakers and data center developers remained under pressure in the US and South Korea, Chinese investors sustained a bullish stance on the sector following CXMT’s standout IPO. These price moves underscore growing long positions in data center build‑outs, an increasingly important source of tin demand given its critical role in soldering. Industry players now forecast that tin consumption in AI servers will triple by 2030.
On the supply side, output from major producer Indonesia remained subdued as Jakarta scaled back the issuance of export licenses. Tin exports from the country totaled 3,000 tonnes in June, down 33% from a year earlier. In addition, authorities tightened mining permit rules and seized 500 tonnes of metal from unlicensed operations.
